Page 68 - The Persian Gulf Historical Summaries (1907-1953) Vol II_Neat

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automatic telephone system in Bahrain. There were various delays in the
implementation of the agreement from which the company tried to resile and the
system was not inaugurated until 1948.
139. In 1947 it was considered desirable that Cable and Wireless Ltd. should
obtain a formal concession from the Ruler. An agreement was signed accordingly
which gave them for 20 years a monopoly to operate telecommunication services
between Bahrain and the outside world and public telephone services inside Bahrain
subject to certain conditions (Appendix N).
140. In 1949 Cable and Wireless Ltd. established a telephone service between
Bahrain and London. This was later extended to New York, and services were
also established with Kuwait, Dohah and Muscat.
141. In 1951 Cable and Wireless Ltd. agreed that International Aeradio Ltd.
should be allowed to conduct all aeronautical telecommunications at Bahrain on
the understanding that this action would not be held to prejudice the position of
Cable and Wireless Ltd. elsewhere.(27°)
142. The public telephone system installed by Cable and Wireless Ltd. under
the 1947 agreement soon became inadequate for local needs. In 1952 they prepared
a scheme for installing many more connections but demanded increased rent. This
greatly incensed the Ruler and the local merchants and there was a demand by the
latter that the Bahrain Government should take over the system, but the
increased rates proposed by the company were eventually accepted.
143. With the agreement of the Ruler and the Political Agent permission is
granted for the operation of private radio transmitters and frequencies are allotted
by the Political Residency after consultation with the Communications Board
Middle East when necessary.(2*°) Legislation on the subject has been discussed but
not yet enacted.(2M)
144. A local broadcasting station was operated in Bahrain during the last
war by the British Information Services. In 1949 it was proposed to set up a
broadcasting station to be financed jointly by His Majesty’s Government and the
Bahrain Government.!2"2) Use was to be made of the Cable and Wireless
installations. This proposal was dropped partly on grounds of expense and partly
because at that time the Voice of America were contemplating the establishment of a
broadcasting station in Bahrain which would have been made available for
transmission on behalf of His Majesty’s Government and the Ruler. The Voice
of America’s Scheme was abandoned and the matter remained in abeyance for a
few years. In 1952 the Bahrain Petroleum Company proposed to present a small
broadcasting station to the Bahrain Government and the question of staffing and
working it was discussed with the Head of the Near East Broadcasting Station and
the Regional Information Officer Middle East who visited Bahrain at the end of
1952 and beginning of 1953 respectively.!2*3) The former offered assistance and some
engineers were sent to Bahrain. The Bahrain Petroleum Company later said they
were only willing to provide the technical equipment and that the Bahrain
Government must construct the building. No further development had taken
place by the end of 1953.
(k) Medical and Quarantine
145. In the days of the Government of India an officer of the Indian Medical
Department used to be posted to Bahrain as Agency Surgeon and Quarantine
Medical Officer. He was in charge of the Victoria Memorial Hospital in
Manamah. This was built from public subscriptions after the death of Queen
Victoria and maintained as a charitable dispensary. After His Majesy’s
Government took over responsibility for the Gulf States a British Quarantine
Medical Officer was appointed who worked under the Chief Quarantine Medical
Officer at the Residency. The Victoria Memorial Hospital was closed to the
general public in 1948 but used for a few years for the treatment of the Residency
and Aeency staff. It was eventually abandoned as unsafe and dismantled. Its
site has been recorded in the Bahrain Government’s Land Registration office as
(3") M.C.A. to F.O. AS 163/26/05 of October 23. 1952 (GA 60/30 of 1952).
/a*°( FO to P.R. GT/19/1 of January 22, 1951.
L p'r toFO. 14310/2 of May 12, 1951 (GT 19/16 of 1951).
Raphdad toFO 4874/50/0217 of January 14, 1949 (P 5186/109/950 of 1949).
jJ-j a^e a to F O. 7001/3/53 of January 22. 1953 (PB 1045/3/Gof 1953).